Improving Vegetation for Shrub-Nesting Herons

(2000 – present, ongoing) – For over fifteen years we have experimented with a range of traditional and novel vegetation management methods to increase the available structure needed for successful nesting by wading birds such as the Reddish Egret. We have developed a full arsenal of equipment and knowledge to address the unique challenges of vegetation management on small islands with unique soils and highly variable rainfall. We are collaborating with Master Naturalists to grow the types of salt- and drought-tolerant shrub species that provide the structure necessary for wading birds.